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Vaishnavism
'Vaishnvaism '(also called Vaisnava dharma) is one of the major branches of Hinduism, along with Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism, which is focused on the veneration of Vishnu as the supreme god, or Brahman. Vaishnavites, or followers of Vishnu, promote monotheism, which gives importance to Vishnu and his ten avatars. The Vaishnava Sampradaya refers to the vertical lines worn on a devotee's forehead representing Lord Narayana's or Krishna's 'lotus feet'. In between, a vertical black line is made from the daily coal of the incense. Worship is done to Narayana or Krishna daily. Underneath the black line, a red dot is applied to indicate that one has finished eating their lunch. Followers of Vishnu worship Vishnu, the Supreme Lord and the preserver of the Hindu trimurti and his ten incarnations, including Rama or Krishna. The adherents of this group are generally non-ascetic (as opposed to some Shaivite groups), value meditative practices and estatic chanting. They are deeply devotional, appreciating bhakti, or loving devotion towards God and are rich in saints, temples and scriptures. Their beliefs and practices are largely based on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Padma Purana, the Vishnu Purana ''and the ''Bhagavata Purana. Principle historic branches Bhagavadism, early Ramaism and Krishnaism, merged in historical Vishnuism, a tradition of historical Vedic religion, distinguished from other traditions by its primary worship of Vishnu. Although it is unusual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avatar, this is the only one of the names by which the god of Vaishnavism is known. The other names include Narayana, Vasudeva, Rama, Krishna; each the name of a divine figure attributed with supremacy, which each associated tradition of Vaishnavism believes to be distinct. For example, in the Krishnaism branch of Vaishnavism, such as the Gaudiya Vaishnava, Nimbarka and Vallabhacharya traditions, devotees worship Krishna as the One Supreme form of God and source of all avatars. Principle beliefs Supreme God The principle belief in Vishnu-centered sects is the identification of Vishnu or Narayana as the one supreme God. This belief contrasts from Krishna-centred sects, such as the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, which holds Krishna as Supreme Lord Vishnu. The belief in the supremacy of Vishnu is based on the many avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu listed in the Puranic texts, which differs from other Hindu deities such as Ganesha, Surya or Durga. According to Vaishnavas, the latter are considered demi-gods or devas. Initiation﻿ ﻿Vaishnavas follow a proccess of initiation given by a guru under whom they are trained to understand Vaishnava practices. This gives importance to the acceptance of the supremacy of Lord Vishnu by men and women. At the time of initiation, the devotee is usually given a mantra which they will repeat aloud or silently as an act of worship to Lord Vishnu or one of his avatars. This practice of repetitive prayer is known as japa. This system of initiation and training from a guru is based on injunctions throughout scriptures held as sacred in Vaishnava sects: : "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth." (Bhagavad Gita) : "One who is initiated into the Vaishnava mantra and who is devoted to worshiping Lord Vishnu is a Vaishnava. One who is devoid of these practices is not a Vaishnava." (Padma Purana) The scriptures execlusive to Gaudiya Vaishnavism also state that one who performs the simple act of chanting the names of Vishnu or Krishna can be considered a Vaishnava by practice: : "One who is initiated into the Vaishnava mantra and who is devoted to worshiping Lord Vishnu is a Vaishnava. One who is devoid of these practices is not a Vaishnava." (Chaitanya Charitamrita) Attitude towards scripture﻿ ﻿ Vaishnava traditions refer to the writings of previous acharyas in their respective lineage or sampradya (see below) as authoritative interpretations of scripture. While many schools like Smartism and Advaitism encourage interpretation of scriptures philosophically and metaphorically and not too literally, Vaishnavism stresses the literal meaning (mukhya vṛitti) as primary and indirect meaning (gauṇa vṛitti) as secondary: sākṣhād upadesas tu shrutih - "The instructions of the shruti-shāstra should be accepted literally, without fanciful or allegorical interpretations. See also *Brahmanas *Krishnaism *Shaivism *Shaktism *Vaikhanasas *Alvars *Divya Desams *Divya Prabhandham External links *Vaishnavism (Heart of Hinduism) *Who is Vishnu? Vaishnava FAQ (dvaita.org) ﻿ Category:Hinduism Category:Vaishnavism